Video image monitoring systems such as security systems are increasingly common as the costs of cameras and image processing and communications technologies decrease. Often such systems include several cameras connected to a bank of video monitors overseen by a security guard. These systems suffer from limitations however as the number of cameras increases. First, wiring both power and data cables to each of the cameras significantly increases costs and complexity. Second, the amount of data received and recorded by a system frequently becomes unmanageable. Third, the ability to monitor simultaneously all of the cameras decreases, resulting in a higher probability that an anomalous event such as a security breach will go unnoticed.
Further, individual cameras of existing video security systems generally require wired connections to both a mains power supply and to a device for receiving and recording images such as a video recorder. Such existing cameras are thus prohibitively expensive and impractical for many applications where easy access to such wired connections is unavailable.
There is therefore a need for an improved image monitoring system and method that overcomes the above limitations.